10 Apps for the Self-Employed

Technologically, there has never been a better time to run a business: Tablets and Ultrabooks let you get work done anywhere, and online cloud storage allows you to access files from any connected device. But as any self-employed person knows, working for oneself also creates an enormous to-do list and challenges for even the most organized of us. Technologically, there has never been a better time to run a business: Tablets and Ultrabooks let you get work done anywhere, and online cloud storage allows you to access files from any connected device. Here are some apps we found to help you stay on task.

1
HoursTracker

If you charge by the hour, this app makes it simple to keep track of exactly how much time you're clocking for various clients. There's a Jobs tab under which you can load clients, as well as your hourly rate. Once you tap Clock In Now, the app shows you what portion of an hour you've put in, as well as how much money you've made during the day.

It's a great tool for freelancers who flit back and forth between projects for different clients. You can clock out of one project and clock into another with just two taps then go to your dashboard and see all your entries by date or by a given pay period. The only gripe you may have with this one is that certain features cost extra. You'll have to shell out an extra $0.99, for example, for an in-app purchase of a location services feature that can learn when you're moving around and remind you to clock out. Same thing with backing up your data to the cloud—that's $0.99 a month or $9.99 a year.

2
Evernote

Evernote is a popular organizational app because it stores all sorts of content—notes you type yourself, photos that you can annotate with the Skitch plug-in, audio recordings, video files, and more. It synchs between all your devices, too, so notes that you add on your computer will show up on your phone.

Evernote lets you create various notebooks, such as Tax Related, in which you place photos of receipts or Payroll, in which you might store employee timecards. You can add tags to notes, so if you want to find a recording of a meeting with a particular client, it's easy search for it later. You can also share read-only notebooks with other Evernote users; though if you want to let other users edit the content, you'll have to pony up for the $5/month premium version.

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3
Square Register

Square, one of the most lauded recent startups (and a PM Breakthrough Award winner) is a free small square credit card reader that you plug into your smartphone or tablet. Once you install the companion app on your device and connect your bank account, you're ready to accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express credit card payments, with a fee of 2.75 percent per swipe. Customers can add a tip, sign right on your device with a finger, and get an e-receipt via text or email. The Square Dashboard lets you review your sales history, resend receipts, and issue refunds.

4
Microsoft SkyDrive

You've heard about the benefits of the cloud: You can get at it from any Internet-connected computer or device, it protects your data in case your local hard drive fails, and it lets you share large files without using an unwieldy email attachment. SkyDrive is far from the only game in town—you could also choose Google Drive, Apple iCloud, and Dropbox, to name just a few—but it does offer the most free storage (7 GB). A cool bonus: If you need to make last minute changes to your PowerPoint presentation saved on SkyDrive, you can use the PowerPoint Web App to do it using any device with a web browser, even if the device doesn't have Office installed.

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5
JuiceDefender

It's pretty hard to do business when your smartphone battery is dead. JuiceDefender keeps it charged longer by automatically and transparently managing the most battery-draining functions of your phone, such as 3G and 4G connectivity and Wi-Fi. It will also disable data connectivity when the battery is low, schedule data sync events instead of having data sync turned on all the time, enable or disable data connectivity for specific apps, and auto-toggle Wi-Fi depending on your location. You need to install the free version first (it's okay, but not as aggressive as the paid-for versions) and upgrade to the Plus version from within the free app.

6
QuickBooks Mobile

QuickBooks is the go-to accounting software for small businesses, and if you currently subscribe to the service, this free app is a great way to manage your financials using your mobile devices. It lets you create unlimited estimates and invoices; and create, edit, and send them on the fly. To use it you'll need a subscription with QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Pro Plus, QuickBooks Premier Plus, or QuickBooks Mobile Plus.

However, if you simply need a quick way to send estimates or invoices using your mobile device, try Invoice2go for iOS and Android—it's free but only lets you manage three invoices at a time (though paid versions let you do more).

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7
mSecure Password Manager

We know the best digital security practices say that each of your many passwords should be unique, but that's increasingly challenging as the number of services we use, and passwords we have to remember, keeps going up. And recording them in one document isn't a good idea, lest it fall into the wrong hands. This password manager acts as an encrypted digital vault for all of the account numbers, usernames, passwords, and other sensitive data you need to remember.

To keep out any nefarious characters who might get their hands on your phone, mSecure autolocks every time you're done using it and requires a password for reentry. It also includes a password generator that will help you create unguessable passwords and an optional self-destruct tool in the event someone tries inputting a wrong password too many times.

8
Smart Tools

Any good craftsman has a set of trusty tools by his or her side. If you ever need to measure something and find yourself without those tools (but with your Android smartphone), though, there's Smart Tools. It's a package of five app sets that lets you gauge things such as length, angle, slope, distance, height, width, direction, and sound, using all the various sensors inside phones running Android 2.2 and later. Construction workers can use it as a level; mechanical types can figure out threads per inch by laying a screw on the phone's display screen; and if you get lost in the woods you can email your geographic coordinates and altitude to someone else so they can track you down. Bonus: It includes a flashlight. Check out a demo on YouTube.

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9
Tasks Free

If you use Google Tasks, you may know you can also manage your lists on your Android phone, but that you have to do so in a mobile browser. This, however, is a dedicated app that will let you check off to-dos, add tasks, and share lists via email to other apps like Evernote and even on social networks. It gives you due-date reminders and works with multiple Google accounts. The free version feeds you ads after 10 days. If you don't want them, you can upgrade to the ad-free version for $0.99.

10
Triplog – GPS Mileage

This might just be the best app on the list for self-employed Android users. GPS on your phone can track everywhere you drive for work—start and stop addresses included—and total your tax deduction after every trip. Plus, you can enter fuel expenditures and repairs. Each month you can email yourself TripLog reports for free. But if you want quarterly or yearly reports, it'll cost you: $0.99 to export all your mileage reports for a year and $4.99 to do it forever.